Here are some of the thoughts shared by John Pavlovitzentitled鈥淥n the Day I Die鈥�: 鈥淥n the day I die a lot will聽happen. A lot will change. The world will be busy. On the day I die, all the important appointments I made聽will聽be left unattended.
鈥淭he many聽plans I had yet to complete聽will remain聽forever undone. The calendar that ruled so聽many聽of my days will now be irrelevant to me. All the material things聽I so chased and guarded and treasured will be left in the hands of others to care for or to discard.
鈥淎ll my noisy incoming notifications and texts and calls will go unanswered. Their great urgency will be quieted. My many nagging regrets will all be resigned to the past, where they should have always been anyway ....
鈥淎ll the small and large anxieties that stole sleep from me each聽night will be rendered powerless. The deep and towering聽mysteries聽about life and death that so consumed my mind聽will finally be聽clarified in a way that they could never be before while I lived.
鈥淭hese things will certainly all be true on the day that I die. Yet聽for as much as will happen on that day,聽one more thing that will happen. On the day I die, the few people who really know and聽truly love me will grieve deeply. They will feel a void. They will feel cheated .鈥�
鈥淎nd on that day, more than anything in the world they will want more time
with me. I know this from those I love and grieve over. And so knowing this, while I am still alive I鈥檒l try to remember that my time with them is finite and fleeting and so very precious鈥攁nd I鈥檒l do my best聽not to waste a second of it. Don鈥檛聽miss the chance to dance with them while you can .鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to waste聽so much daylight in聽the days before you die. Don鈥檛 let your life be stolen every day by all that you鈥檝e been led to believe matters, because on聽the day you die鈥攖he fact聽is that much of it simply won鈥檛.
鈥淵es, you and I will die one day. But before that day comes: let us live.鈥�
Let us live free of fear of death! How? Let me share a story Father Gerard Dowling tells. Dowling points out how Catholics who grew up in the church can so easily turn to Mary when they need help. Hail Marys trip off their tongues easily.
Dowling says it all started at his mother鈥檚 knee. She passed on the devotion to Mary to him and his siblings. As a family they prayed the Rosary every night. Seeing their mother and dad kneel as they prayed encouraged turning to Mary and Jesus for help.
His sister Mary joined Father Dowling daily at St Cecilia鈥檚 Church for the Rosary the last 13 years of Mary鈥檚 life. Dowling visited Mary in the nursing home as she was dying. Praying the Rosary continued to be a great comfort after Mary died. Mary had gone on to the place Jesus prepared for her.
Trusting in our Mother Mary and praying for her daily intercession, 鈥淧ray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death鈥�, allows us to live worry free. We can trust in a loving Mother and Son, our Brother Jesus, who care for us and guide our every step.
